It’s a Dirty Process…

All too often, this is our my laundry room reality:

When we first moved into Maison de Pax, that was our laundry room. Since it’s located right by our back door and we don’t have a garage, it wears many hats: laundry, workshop, mudroom, and general catch-all… And, of course, there were so many other projects higher on the priority list. But within a week after moving (I couldn’t handle it any longer than that!), a little paint and some curtains certainly went a long way:

Unfortunately, lipstick only lasts so long… and since the makeover was purely cosmetic and did not, in reality, address any of the storage or functionality problems we had, the laundry room often looks like this:

Or maybe that’s just the reality of two little boys and a too-busy mom. Either way, we definitely need to do something about the situation. And since our washer and dryer were 12 years old and the dryer didn’t shut off on its own (and hadn’t for the last 5 years, at least), I was THRILLED to get these babies for my birthday last week:

Forgive the mess. And the enthralled three-year-old. I believe instagram shots should be candid (follow me here if you don’t already). So in honor of my new machines and the endless possibilities they offer, I’m madly pinning inspiration for and designing the new room (follow me on Pinterest here). Here are some of my favorites (in addition to the one at the top of the post, of course):

And here is the current plan (subject to change, of course!):

  • replace current paneling with bead board (there are a few places where the paneling has been damaged and one huge section that was patched with something that doesn’t even match)
  • get rid of fridge (it’s our extra fridge for drinks and such… we could do with much smaller)
  • move w/d to other side of room (where there is only one, higher window)
  • put counter top across w/d (maybe butcher block like the first pic above?) and sink (this farm sink from Ikea?) between w/d
  • add matching cabinet above washer (there is one on the side where the dryer would go already)
  • remove corner cabinet (seen above current washer in above pics)
  • build mud-room style unit where current dryer is (good thing Mr. Pax builds beautiful built-ins!)
  • get smaller (large dorm-style-ish?) fridge to go where current washer is
  • build counter above new fridge and hanging bar (for clothes) above that
  • connect new fridge and mudroom unit with a window bench and a shelf above window for extra storage
  • paint everything white (true white, not the seriously yellow white that our trim currently is)
Things we’ve already accomplished:
  • got new w/d (woohoo!)
  • called our contractor (to move the w/d connections)
  • fixed our coat closet (long story as to why that’s relevant… coming later this week)
I’d say our “to do” list is quite a bit longer than our “done” list. But I’m excited. As soon as our contractor gets the plumbing and electical moved, we’ll be ready to go. It may be slow (because when you DIY things with a 1 and 3 year old… well, you can imagine), but I’m so excited about where we’re headed.
It’s amazing how laundry begins to sound exciting…. almost.

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